Remembering the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin and her 5 greatest hits

The world mourns its greatest soul singer, Aretha Franklin who leaves behind a great legacy of music at the age of 76.

From her golden years beginning in 1967, the Queen of Soul, or should we say the Queen of Music, has had 17 top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and 20 that have gone No. 1 on the R&B charts.

She also has 18 Grammys and 75 million albums sold over the years, a stunning feat no other singer has come close to, to date.

From soul, dance pop and contemporary R&B, Franklin has certainly left behind a great catalog of songs that is highly admired and loved, up to now.

An impossible feat it is for us to pick just 5 songs from the great Aretha Franklin to remember her by, but after much debate and tears, here are our top picks delivered by the legend herself!

5. “Chain of Fools”, 1967

Originally written for the great Otis Redding, you could never tell that this song wasn't originally for Aretha. She absolutely made it her own and gave it her all in terms of her vocal abilities layered with handclaps and melodious backup.

4. “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)”, 1967

The Queen of Soul's debut hit with a major record label shot her all the way on the charts. Popularising gospel music to great heights and into the mainstream. Just you try to sit still while you listen to this one!3. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", 1967

Yes we bet you have seen this song covered many times in almost every season of "American Idol". This great song has the ability to showcase ones' great vocal prowess that's why. Or maybe because Aretha just made everyone think that, with her massive talent in belting out this song penned by the epic Carole King.

2. "I Say a Little Prayer", 1968

You must remember this song from the Julia Roberts movie "My Best Friend's Wedding", or if you're musically inclined, you would already know how powerhouse Aretha tore the roof with her cover of the originally Dionne Warwick song.1. “Respect”, 1967

If there's one thing Aretha wants you to remember is to always have R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Way ahead of her time in becoming the feminist anthem of the century, the song has become a classic and is very so often heard on the airwaves, either in the form of the original or in a sampled version of today's popular artiste's hit.